Jason Teraoka

ARTIST   INTERVIEW2

A fly adds this weird tension.

Is there any model who all the people know?

Like movie actors?

Yeah.

Probably. Well, that one, the "Ankle Biter" on the corner, started off as Kirk Douglas. Do you know him? He's got a big cleft on chin. The "Rendevous" started off as Elvis photo, originally. And then, the woman with the cup is a character form Hitchcock movie, from "North by Northwest". Do you know the scene he meets that woman on the train?

Did you see that kind of movies in your childhood?

Yeah. Totally, I grew up watching all old movies. It's just because they rerun old movies on Saturdays and Sundays.

Do you like the suspense especially?

Yeah. There is a little suspense hold.

Your works look so mysterious.

Yeah. In the old movies, I just love the timing. Old movies take a long time for things to happen. Now you go to movies and things are just――bang, bang, bang. So you don't get those things where you are waiting around for something to happen. It's that anticipation that I really like. That seems missing in a lot of movies nowadays.

top："Rendevous"、bottom："Witches Brew"/ acrylic and polyurethane on wood panel / © Jason Teraoka, 2007

I am curious about the painting with woman. There is a fly on the cup. Is it your creation?

Yeah. That one I told you is a character from North by Northwest movie, and when I was painting I just saw this surreal moment. She's sipping coffee and a fly adds this weird tension to it. Like it collapses the scene.

In Caravaggio's works, for example, fly symbolizes mortality.

Same idea triggers in my mind. I guess when I mean evil or corrupt, it has more to do with that a nothing is as it seems, in a way, things are always in flux as well, there is always two things going on. Fly symbolizes something decaying, I think.

Sometimes I can see a vanity or feeling for death, very dark emotion from your painting, so, I couldn't imagine that you are from Hawaii.

A lot of people tell me that, but it's not so much though. The image that tourists and most of people get of Hawaii is that it's a paradise, but when you live there, you will notice that the human condition is the same wherever you are.
There is also a serious drug scene, crime, and just some really horrible stuff going on sometimes. It's all under the surface. So most tourists, when they come and stay in Waikiki, and when somebody gets mugged or the bag is stolen in Waikiki, it's big news. Because you know Waikiki is like a little heaven. So my image of Hawaii is that I do appreciate that we live in such a good environment.

Yes, most Japanese think so, I think.

I mean, outside, in certain areas, there is pretty rough things going on. We feel way safer when we come to Japan.
I remember the first time I came in Japan, I was walking down the street and somebody was close behind me, and I kept keeping track of him. In Hawaii and in the U.S., you will do that. Then, I realize, it's not a threat. Yeah. It's not the same, so. But I think in Hawaii, because we have so many cultures there. There is Japanese, and then there is Chinese, Portuguese, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan, Micronesians, and Vietnamese. Therefore everybody mingles. But a lot of people still don't fully understand each other's culture, cause they are always changing too. There are always people coming in. So I think that kind of blegian is always there. There is always little bit of tension all the time.
But don't let that stop you from vacationing in Hawaii. It's a great place.

I've never been there!

Oh well, you'll see. It's great!

So you want to stay in Hawaii so far?

Yeah. I've been there for so long now.

Were you born in Hawaii?

I was born on Kauai, like a little country island. I only lived in California for about half a year.

I see. How was California?

It's ok. I was up in northern California, so it was pretty nice. I could see lots of trees.

installation view at Tomio Koyama Gallery,2007
L to R："Guardian Angel"、"Head Wound" / acrylic and polyurethane on wood panel /
© Jason Teraoka, 2007

Are those paintings("Guardian Angel","Head Wound") of your father?

About that character with the finger up, I don't know where he came from. I didn't notice I was not using any reference for that one either. One on the right is taken from the picture of me when I was a kid. It's a small photo.

Did you add the sky?

Yeah. I did the whole compositions, and put the band-aid on fore head.

I think it's interesting because in the other paintings, background is just background.

Sometimes I go back and forth. Sometimes backgrounds that are little bit mysterious, going little bit more with characters too. That guy over there helps to bring the mood out. ("Atlas")

Right. Yeah. It's more about emotion.

Yeah. Not about actual rendering.

Are there any portraits done by other artists you really like?

Actually, I really like Shtepan Balkenhol's work. That's why I was hoping it's going to work where I can do a show with him. I can see his work too. But, the answer for this question is “not really”. To be honest, I don't look at a lot of art works. I have to admit that I prefer looking at TV, books, and magazines. I guess I look at more popular cultures, like the old movies I was saying. I'm one of the terrible artists, because I never look at art works, or go to museums.

No, I think most of artists prefer not to.

Yeah. Cause even with art magazines, I haven't look at in years. Especially when I was a student, looking at art magazines was just like fashion. So you just get swept thinking “That's cool, that's what I should do.” Instead of trying to figure out what you need to do. Now it seems like a fashion world too, where it's changing so quickly. I don't even want to tune in.